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Forging 21st Century Partnerships with Community Colleges Glennda M . Bivens, Frankie Santos Laanan, & Lyn A . Brodersen

What happens to youth after they leave high school? Com munity colleges share common goals with Extension and Outreach through land-grant universities and can partner in educating diverse citizens to benefit individuals and communities.

W hile Cooperative Extension formally links research and practice through land-grant institutions and youth-centered programs such as 4-H, are there missed opportunities for further developing students and communities through com m unity colleges? Extension and Outreach and com m unity colleges, working together, have the potential to transform communities. How can com m unity colleges complement the Extension and Outreach mission?

Population migration poses unique challenges to Extension and Outreach in traditionally rural and agricultural states. For example, between 2000 and 2oro, while the population of Iowa increased by 4.1 percent, rural populations decreased by 5.4 percent, and urban areas experienced a ro.r increase (Swenson, 2or3). Essentially, residents of rural areas are migrating to urban areas in search of jobs and educational opportunities. Given this reality, it is im portant to meet communities where they are. One of the ways is through partnering with com m unity colleges.

Land-grant institutions are unique because of their mission to provide education to historically-mar­ ginalized and first-generation populations as well to provide community empowerment through research and Extension in the community. Many informal educational opportunities are under the umbrellas of 4-H or youth development through land-grant institutions. What happens to 4-H youth who attend community college after high school?

Why Community Colleges? The mission of community colleges has been to offer open access to postsecondary education by providing educational opportunities that meet the needs of the local community (Cohen, Brawer, & Kisker, 2or3). Due to changing student demo­ graphics and the increasing demands on commu­ nity colleges, these institutions play a critical role in educating and training 2rst century workers in high-wage, middle-skill career and technical edu­ cation fields (Compton, Laanan, & Starobin, 2oro; Laanan, Starobin, Compton, & Freidel, 2009). Also, more women and historically underrepresented individuals are choosing to start their postsecond­ ary education at a community college with the aspiration to transfer to a four-year college (Bragg, 2001). In 2012, 45 percent of all undergraduates, or 7.2 million students, were enrolled in community colleges. Community college students come largely from historically-marginalized groups such as low- income, first-generation, females, students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds, and students over 25 years old.

There are a number of reasons that community col­ leges attract students from diverse social and eco­ nomic backgrounds. The American Association of Community Colleges (2009) found that increased enrollment was attributed to lower tuition and fees compared to four-year institutions, the availability of workforce training, and outreach to the com­ m unity through marketing and partnerships with businesses and secondary schools. These are links connecting community colleges and their students.

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Table 1

Examples of partnerships between Extension, community colleges, and four-year institutions

Institutions Characteristics

University of North Carolina W ilm ington, Coastal Carolina C om m unity College, and Onslow Extension Site (University of North Carolina W ilm ington, n.d.)

• Target single parents, active and retired military, m ilitary families, full-tim e employees

• UNCW courses taught at CCCC

Temple University, Montgom ery County Community College & Temple O ffice of Extension Services (Temple, 2014)

• O ff-cam pus courses for credit, graduate and undergraduate degrees, continuing education and non-credit courses

North Dakota State U niversity Tribal College Partnership Program, Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Sitting Bull Com m unity College, United Tribes Technical College, Fort Berthold C om m unity College (North Dakota State University, 2013)

• Emphasize research and local know ledge as the foundation for knowledge

• Provide culturally-relevant learning opportun ities through applied research and co -cu rricu la r learning opportunities

E x a m p le s o f P a rtn e rs h ip s Some Extension sites have developed partnerships with community colleges and community mem­ bers to advance their shared mission of educat­ ing the community. Specifically, the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) works with Coastal Carolina Community College (CCCC) by offering UNCW classes targeted at single parents, active and retired military persons, and full-time employees. Additionally, Temple University part­ ners with Montgomery County Community Col­ lege and Temple Extension Services to provide undergraduate and graduate classes. The North Dakota State Tribal College Partnership Program provides culturally-relevant curricular and co-cur- ricular opportunities through multiple higher edu­ cation institutions. (See Table i)

Building Bridges through a S hared Vision The similarities between the missions of Extension and community colleges can serve as the foundation for future partnerships (Amey, Eddy, & Ozaki, 2007). There are opportunities to develop social capital (Coleman, 1988) by understanding the needs of over 82 million workers, nearly 62 percent of the workforce in 2002, who are engaged in over five hundred differ­ ent occupations (Zweig, 2004). Zweig defines those who work in agriculture, as well as other skilled and unskilled jobs, as working class. The children of those workers are frequently the first to attend college; more often than not, that college experience is gained in a community college or in a land-grant institution.

A college education is crucial for students who come from working-class families, because it allows them to gain critical thinking tools and enter jobs that pay well (Tokarczyk, 2004). But barriers pose serious challenges to their success in higher educa­ tion. This is most apparent when universities are not prepared to serve students who work or have learning deficits or other unique needs. The issues facing first-generation college students may not be apparent to faculty; further, heavy workloads, scarce resources, and research demands may not al­ low faculty to spend the time necessary to mentor unprepared college students.

It is important to meet communities where they are.

The intersection of first-generation, working-class students with higher education professionals provides opportunities to partner in innovative and powerful ways. These students may be grap­ pling with distancing themselves from family and friends as the educational process continues (Jen­ sen, 2004), and some are dealing with depression, substance abuse, or financial strain while they are college students.

There are many opportunities to forge meaning­ ful partnerships between community colleges and Extension and Outreach. This may include these strategies:

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• Identify key stakeholders and implement a taskforce.

• Conduct a SWOT analysis (measuring strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) and use this information to inform actionable plans.

• Develop assessment practices to evaluate the progress of the partnership.

A viable partnership will have a strong feedback loop as well as a champion who advocates for the advancement of the partnership (Amey, Eddy, & Ozaki, 2007). Feedback can take on a variety of forms such as quarterly meetings, memos, and as­ sessment data. Extension and com m unity college professionals should identify the strengths they bring to the partnership and include input from com m unity members to make sure they are aligned with the needs of the community.

G l e n n d a M. B iv e n s , is a doctoral student in the School o f Education and Com m unity and Economic Development Field Specialist for Extension and Out­ reach a t Iowa State University. Contact her a t glennda@ iastate.edu

F r a n k ie S a n t o s L a a n a n , P h D , is professor o f higher education leadership in the College o f Education at Florida Atlantic University.

L y n B r o d e r s e n , P h D , is Assistant Vice President for Extension and Outreach a t Iowa State University.

Photo on page 22 used with permission from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

R eferen ces

American Association of Community Colleges. (2009). Commu­ nity college enrollment surge: An analysis ofestimated fall 2009 headcount enrollments at community colleges. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED5no56.pdf

Amey, M., Eddy, P., & Ozaki, C. (2007). Demands for part­ nership and collaboration in higher education: A mod­ el. New Directions for Community Colleges, 139, 5-14.

Bragg, D. (2001). Community college access, mission, and outcomes: Considering intriguing intersections and challenges. Peabody Journal o f Education, 76(1), 93-116.

Cohen, A., Brawer, F., & Kisker, C. (2013). The American com­ munity college (6th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Coleman, J. (1988). Social capital as hum an capital. Ameri­ can Journal o f Sociology, 94, S95-S120.

Compton, J., Laanan, F., & Starobin, S. (2010). Career and technical education as pathways: Factors influencing post-college earnings of selected career clusters. Jour­ nal o f Education for Students Placed at Risk, 15(1/2), 93-113.

Jensen, B. (2004). Across the great divide: Crossing classes and clashing cultures. In M. Zweig (Ed.), W hat’s class got to do with it? American society in the twenty-first cen­ tury (pp. 168-183). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Laanan, F., Starobin, S., Compton, J., & Friedel, J. (2009). Assessing postcollege earnings of career and technical education students in Iowa community colleges. En­ rollment Management Journal, 3(4), 68-94.

North Dakota State University. (2013). NDSU Extension: Reaching Native American audiences. Retrieved from http://w w w .ag.ndsu.edu/extension/about-us/reach- ing-native-american-audiences

Swenson, D. (20T3). Factors constraining Iowa labor force growth through 2020. Ames, IA: Department of Econom­ ics Staff Report, Iowa State University.

Temple University. (2014). Off-campus programs: About exten­ sion. http://www.temple.edu/tucc/offcampus/about.asp

Tokarczyk, M. M. (2004). Promises to keep: Working class students and higher education. In M. Zweig (Ed.), W hat’s class got to do with it? American society in the twenty-first century (pp. 161-167). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

University of North Carolina Wilmington, (n.d.). Onslow Extension Site, http://www.uncw.edu/onslow/

Zweig, M. (Ed.). (2004). What’s class got to do with it? Ameri­ can society in the twenty-first century. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

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